Defining Definitions
by twilightmask
Summary: Virginia's always been stiff and serious about terms like "love" and "romance", whereas Anthony's always been loose and carefree with the terms. They won't stay that way around each other, though. They might as well rewrite their internal dictionaries.
1. First Impressions

**Disclaimer: I do not own/have created the characters (C) Marvel**

**Defining Definitions**

**April 4th, 2002**

Name: Virginia Potts

Education: Graduated from NYU with a bachelor's in marketing, business law, and macroeconomics. Has previously been a personal assistant to various others from companies such as SilverPoint.

Sex: Female

Age: 24

(photo attached to the back)

Why I think I deserve to be Anthony Stark's assistant:

There's a lot that defines a person. I don't like to think of myself as judgmental, but rather, very intuitive. I think that is what makes me a very attentive and acute assistant, and that is part of the reason why I am very professional, grounded, and extremely good at making decisions. As a personal assistant, I have quite a bit of a background and am experienced in this lineage of work. I wouldn't say I "deserve" to be your assistant, Mr. Stark, but I think I would make a very good one, and I think that I will serve you best with anything and everything that you may desire or require.

* * *

><p>Tony flipped to the back, interested in seeing what this confident young woman looked like.<p>

Jarvis added in, "She is very well-versed, Mr. Stark. I think she is a good choice for the job."

"Mmhm..." Tony's eyes hungrily took in her youthful features, her wavy strawberry blonde hair, her slight freckles, her sharp blue eyes, and her milky white skin.

He whistled lowly.

"Mr. Stark, would you like me to arrange a meeting to consolidate your selection?"

"Yes, that would be fantastic. I need to see this young Ms. Potts. Tell her to wear a nice skirt, as I require all my female workers to wear one."

"As you wish, sir."

**AN: Well, hello there, Iron Man fandom! :) Haven't been here in a while. I'm going to be rebooting this old story idea I had, and hopefully I can force myself to be diligent with the completion of this one. Some of you may remember me from Pepper Makes Me Sneeze, and I think that one had a nice long run. :) My writing has evolved a bit, so there may be some changed, but I still love all you and have intensely missed being active in the FF portion of this fandom.**

**Anyways, this story will delve into the backgrounds of Tony and Pepper in how they came to be how they were in the first Iron Man movie. It'll be a bit of a flashback, flashforward type set-up, so I'll be mock-dating the chapters. 2008 will be the year in which all of the first Iron Man's events are played out. I may take this into Iron Man 2 and beyond, but that'll be up for thought.**

**Enjoy this story's ride! :) And thanks for reading, as always.**

**- TM**


	2. Quick to Fall

**Disclaimer: I do not own/have created the characters (C) Marvel**

**April 5th, 2002**

I was petrified, if I can be so blunt with my words. I am assuming I can be completely honest with you, so I'll say this in all seriousness and maturity,

I literally hyperventilated in the ladies room five minutes before the interview, and the only means which I used to calm myself was excessive crying, bellowing, and an occasional grunt.

Stop laughing, you're being ridiculous, and I'm being serious.

I tried extremely hard to produce that air of professionalism that I had built up in my resume, so I'm glad I appeared to be calm, cool, and collected. My cheeks were a little redder than they would've been, but that was unnoticeable since we hadn't met ever before. I had carefully chosen the longest, ill fitting skirt I had from my wardrobe, keeping in mind the things my girlfriends told me about Tony and his notorious reputation. You know, the grey starched one.

Anyways.

Tony's presence in his office was just about as large and impactful as his ego was. He was boisterous with his voice, his hair, the way he held himself, just everything. He had these ridiculously unnecessary sunglasses on that, when I questioned their importance, was justified by the simple fact that he thought he looked cool in them. Quite the contrary, obviously. I convinced him to take off the sunglasses, and that was probably the worst decision I had made, have made, and will ever make.

His slick suit and hair, and his slim, muscular body held no comparison to his eyes. Those atrociously alluring eyes. They were a fascinatingly brownie-chocolate type color, and my God, you felt like a chocoholic just simply staring into them. There was something, er I suppose still is something, incredibly enrapturing about them. They were large discs, his irises, and I remember feeling faint and taking my seat a little abruptly after having maintained eye contact with him for an uncomfortable amount of time.

He gave me this suave grin, "You seem dazed, Ms...?"

"Ms. Virginia Potts." I murmured.

"Virginia?"

"Yes, that's my name, sir."

"We're gonna be changing a lot of things around here." He delivered me from my embarrassment by flipping his sunglasses back on.

"I'm sorry, sir, I don't seem to understand what you're saying..."

"I can't remember Virginia. It's too odd of a name."

That phrase definitely killed my mood, and I realized how true the other warnings were. The warnings of Tony's rash, immature, stuck-up type comments and attitude. It was like being force-fed a spoonful of formaldehyde after indulging in that chocolate. I was too stunned to respond.

"Pepper."

"What?"

"That'll be your new name."

"Sir, I can't help but think that, that is a completely irrational..."

He gave me this groan and a bit of a sassy hip, "Potts, if you want to make it big in the world, there have to be gains and losses. This is a simple name I'm giving you for my memory. We'll be working together for a while, after all."

"Wait, so I got the job?"

"Yeah, of course you got the job."

My dimples probably consumed the entirety of my face. I was smiling so hard, I remember my teeth hurting. He stuck out his relatively large hand and gave my hand a firm shake, which didn't really matter too much since I was trembling anyways.

"Welcome to Stark Industries, Ms. Potts."

"The pleasure's all mine."

**AN: Well, for one thing, I'm certainly trying to commit to updating faster. This quick update is unusual, but hopefully you get the gist of where the story is going now! :) I'll try to update at least once a week!**

**Thank you previous readers for a bit of a warm welcome! :) Much appreciated, and it's lovely to be back!**

**Thanks for reading! Please don't forget to review/comment! Tell me what you like, don't like, prefer, question, anything! :) I love reading all of your responses!**

**Enjoy the rest of your week!**

**- TM**


	3. Dethroned

**Disclaimer: I do not own/have created the characters (C) Marvel**

**April 20th, 2002**

It was just plain ridiculous. She had only been in the office just over a week, yet she had managed to up and overturn my perfectly happy lifestyle. I'm gonna be real, I was really, really thinking about letting her off the position. She was just, I don't know what you'd call it...too professional? There is such a thing, trust me, Pepper was the one that made that fact absolutely, one hundred percent crystal clear to me.

I'd be satisfied with my "work" for the day, which consisted of very "serious" "work-related" "projects" and girls in swimwear, but then she'd come bursting into my office, unannounced by the way, yelling at me like it was my fault that she was behind on work.

...Which I suppose it was, but I'm not blaming it all on myself. She chose to be my PA, and I'm pretty sure she had heard of my reputation.

She was so naggy, too. She would always be yapping on her cellphone at me, poking me in the sides to wake up in meetings, rushing me out the door to do mindless nothingness, and she personally decided that a good time for me to wake up was six in the morning.

Six in the fucking morning.

It was impossible to get used to. And while she was controlling my sleep schedule, she found interest in limiting my leisure time. She would just come down and talk to me about these idiotic portfolios and crap, which I couldn't care more about, while I was tuning up my cars or something decently enjoyable like that.

I tried ignoring her entirely for a bit, figuring that she'd get the message that my idea of a PA is a silent one. One that just takes care of business, and keeps me out of the chaos, you know? But she kept haranguing me day after day, and I was seriously beginning to lose it. She was worse than my mother and Jarvis combined.

But I tolerated her. I think it's pretty obvious why I did so. She was just so beautiful. Honestly, I've seen beautiful women, but she really knocked me into a fetish for redheads and freckles. When she smiled, although she rarely did so around me, her freckles would bunch up on the apples of her cheeks, and she did this cute little nose wrinkle. Her hair was a subdued red, but when she grew furiously angry, it seemed to blaze with crimson, and even though I was annoyed that she was yelling at me...

She was gorgeous.

I didn't want a PA that was old and ugly either. That'd be torturous and absolutely no fun at all. At least with Pepper, I thought I could wiggle into a little mindless, after work, probably including alcohol fun with her because she was young and everything, but doing that was probably worse than shooting myself in the face six times in a row.

She was oddly eager when I hinted at the possibility, but I discovered, only later, that it was for a different reason then what I had presumed:

"Sorry, Mr. Stark?"

"I asked you if you were busy tonight."

"Well, yes, I suppose."

I smirked, hook, line, and sinker, "I have a few, after-hours things I need to discuss with you at my Malibu house."

"Can't it wait until tomorrow morning?"

"Is that defiance I hear?" Yeah, I was getting cocky.

"No, not at all." She blinked, and then smiled, "I just figured you could take care of your own desires yourself. Best to get to know your hands, Mr. Stark."

And just like that she was gone, with that sharp comment stuck to my face like those high-liter yellow post-it notes that she's obsessed with. Might as well have stuck a "kick me" sign on my back while she was at it, too. She didn't have any of my little flirts or teases, and a week later, she stopped wearing skirts altogether, even though I had told her that whole lie about how she was supposed to wear one.

She walked in that day with the most confident, indifferent look on her face, as I gaped at her audacity.

"Something the matter, Mr. Stark? Here's your coffee."

"Uh no, Potts... Nothing at all."

"Have you noticed my change in wardrobe?" Oh, she was really egging me on.

"Yes, as a matter of fact, I was about to comment on that. I thought I told you about our policies."

She was so smug now, with her little half smile, "I don't think so, Mr. Stark. You can't pull the wool over my eyes. Now, instead of ogling women, you can spend some quality time with yourself."

She dropped a truckload of papers on my desk and zipped out of the office, satisfied with my obvious, blatant frustration. I was a cool kind of guy most of the time, but she really knew how to push my buttons. This twenty something year old, redhead girl was tougher than any other girl I'd ever met, and she was adamant in proving herself against my seductive ways.

Er, for lack of a better description.

And so as a substitute, I was able to ring up some other girls that were far more interested in my charisma, and I had some good times back then. Or at least, from what I remember, considering the fact that I was usually drunk out of my mind with every encounter. I'll admit that I was pretty careless with drinking back then, but I'm telling you, I'm really good at picking out the "clean" girls from the "dirty" ones, so I always kept myself nice and healthy.

Anyways, Pepper was smart. Too smart for a guy like me who had spent all of his life in luxury without having to lift so much as a finger. I guess that sort of annoyed me. I'll be honest, I was a bit of a misogynistic type of guy back then, and I was way too used to having women fly into my bed.

But that's what intrigued me. The fact that this petite woman had such class, intelligence, physical beauty, and she was able to resist my devilishly good looks and suave personality. She was different. And I didn't know whether I liked it or not.

**AN: I'm just on fire with updates this time around :) I appreciate the support, and the comment I received on the previous two chapters! I hope you all are enjoying the ride and aren't too confused with the first person monologues! I'll try to write in some third person, as well. :) Tony's just a fun character to write in.**

**Thanks for reading!**

**Please don't forget to review/comment this time around, too!**

**- TM**


	4. What Personal Assistants are Made of

**Disclaimer: I do not own/have created the characters (excluding the other boss character) (C) Marvel**

**July 19th, 2002**

July 19th was a Tuesday. An unwanted day after Monday, as always. It always took Tony about six hours into the morning to actually wake up, and that was usually thanks to the excessive amounts of coffee he binged on. He always complained that they weren't working properly and made Pepper make cup after cup, black, one scoop of sugar. July 19th wasn't supposed to be an extremely important day, no, it wasn't. Just one meeting that day. Pepper blames it on his age. Tony blames it on the fact that it was a Tuesday. But whatever it was, it was certainly impetuous.

It was a meeting. Just like any other meeting. A meeting between Stark Industries and a few big name telecommunications companies.

Of course, Tony had to be nodding off during that extremely important bit.

Of course, the speaker had to ask him a question.

And of course, Tony had to be charismatic.

* * *

><p>"Excuse me, Mr. Stark? Must you fall asleep during my presentation?"<p>

Tony clicked, quick as a whip, "No, all voluntary, good sir."

Pepper stared at him in bewilderment, nudging his arm, kicking his leg, pinching his wrist. He winced for a split-second, before standing up in challenge to the older man.

"I'm sorry, but I have no interest in whatever it is you're talking about. Unless it's something I haven't thought of, which is close to impossible, I really couldn't give two shits about what you want to propose." He gave an unamused raise of an eyebrow and leaned back in his chair.

The room fell eerily quiet, and Pepper could've sworn that she was the loudest one, shaking in her high heels and nervously twisting her pen in her hand.

The man fixed his glasses shakily, peering over the rims fiercely, "Stark, you are an immature brat and a reckless child! Don't you have any sense?"

"Plenty enough to understand that this isn't worth my time, Grandpa. Trying to reinvent the wheel isn't gonna help anybody."

The man stood up and whipped his glasses off, pointing a tremulous, accusatory finger at Tony, "Then you are not worth any of my time, Mr. Stark!"

"I could say the same for you."

Pepper jumped to her feet, "Please, sirs! Please just calm down. I'll get us all a pot of coffee just to ease tensions. It's been a long meeting, I think we all need a break before nerves get rawer."

She wrung her hands anxiously. So much for a relatively smooth ride. She should've expected Mr. Stark's obnoxious personality to bleed through eventually. He had been much too well-behaved. The older man grumbled, taking his seat, with his eyes flashing angrily at the younger two. He beckoned over his equally elderly PA, and they whispered furiously back and forth.

Pepper grabbed Tony by his overpriced sleeve and dragged him outside of the meeting hall.

Once outside, Tony yanked his arm out of her grip and furrowed his eyebrows, "What the hell, Potts?"

Pepper snapped, "Are you out of your mind? You don't know how long and difficult it was to try to even contact these people, let alone convince them to even negotiate a new relation with Stark Industries!" She whipped out papers from her planner and shaking them in his face.

"Geez, cool your jets. They need me more than I need them."

"Maybe I wasn't clear or loud enough for you, but can I remind you that it took me months to arrange this meeting! Where's your head?" Pepper took a bold step towards Tony.

Tony flinched slightly, "I think you're forgetting who your boss is."

"I think you're forgetting why you hired me." Pepper's glare was hard and deeply penetrating.

Her eyes were a different type of unsuppressed rage, distinctive from the other man's. Hers had an undeniably icy quality to them, and they were slow acting in their effects, causing eventual numbness, dryness of his throat, and slight fear for his very own life. Her eyes had lost their most of their color, and they were now a more metallic, mechanistic grey that had a clear edge to them.

Tony, thinking better of the situation, tried to ease himself out of the unforeseeable mess he had gotten into with his normally reserved PA.

"I apologize for my lack of maturity and respect, Ms. Potts. I appreciate what you have done for this meeting, but as your boss, I do believe I retain the right to decline meetings with certain personnel." Tony spoke in the most dignified manner he could produce.

Pepper narrowed her eyes in disbelief, "I don't think so, Mr. Stark. I don't know what you do outside of the office space, but I can see all too clearly that your inherent lack of responsibility is tolling on you right now." She took another step towards him, "And I am not about to let your problems affect the business and myself."

Tony blinked a few times, indiscernible from fear or shock.

He wasn't able to react to her sudden dominance at all, for she whisked them back into the meeting hall and plopped him down in his seat. She gritted her teeth in a strained sort of smile, nudging Tony with her hip to do the same.

"Ah-er, I issue a formal apology for my actions earlier." Tony stuttered.

"Mm, thank you." The man responded in a subdued manner, "I will continue on with my discussion."

* * *

><p>"That was still a God-awful meeting, Ms. Potts."<p>

"I didn't say that it was going to be enjoyable. You just had to sit through it and nod your head every once and a while."

Tony rolled his eyes, as he slid into his STARK7 car. Happy waved to Pepper from the driver's seat, who gave him a stressed smile in return.

"Take him directly home, Happy."

"Um, no, I don't think so. You might control what I do at work, but you're not controlling what I do in my leisure time." Tony immediately objected.

"Hm, I'd have to disagree with that. If you'd take a look at my job contract..." She pulled out a packet from her planner.

She tapped a certain section and held it out for Tony to read, "Right here."

Tony read aloud, "Job description: Personal. Serve as personal valet: assist with morning ritual, including wake-up, stretch exercises, grooming, wardrobe, breakfast, and morning update (news, stock reports, task list, schedule, etc.), assist with midday events including workout regimens, errands, etc., and assist with nighttime rituals including stretch exercises, grooming, massage, and evening recap..."

He made a face.

Pepper snatched the paper back, "It seems you forgot your own contract."

"Look, I didn't make it up. Jarvis did."

"You mean your AI? Well, I'm sure he's doing what's best for you."

Tony grimaced, "No way. You're not getting a foothold in my domestic life."

The young woman managed to force her way into the car, "Mr. Stark, whether you like it or not, I must abide by the job contract's demands, in the best interest of the company, your wellbeing, and my sanity."

"Your sanity?"

"Equally important."

"You're not going to like this as much as I'm not going to like this." Tony warned."

"We'll see about that."

**AN: Hey guys! I tried to write a longer chapter for you all, since this update is a little more delayed than they were being (I was being really good with the updates until now!) Sorry! I've got a lot of work coming up, and a lot of work that I just finished dealing with, and blah blah blah blah, unnecessary rant about how much my life is convulted and disorganized.**

**Anyways, hope you all enjoyed reading this chapter! Please please please don't forget to comment or review! Pepper's finally worked her way into dealing with Tony's domestic life :) She'd appreciate the support! I'll probably flesh out her first dealings with Tony in his own house, and the eventual break-down of their formal address.**

**Again, hope you all enjoyed reading! I'll let you go now :) See you soon!**

**- TM**


	5. Time for a Blackberry

**Disclaimer: I do not own/have created the characters (C) Marvel**

**July 20th, 2002**

"Good morning, Mr. Stark." Jarvis blipped the lights in Tony's room on and opened up the morning screen.

Tony hid under the covers even further. The covers were yanked off, and Tony cowered in the bright lights.

"What the hell, Jarvis?" He snapped at the AI.

"Sir, that was not me. That was Ms. Potts."

Upon hearing those words, Tony was jolted awake, "What are you-"

"Good morning, Mr. Stark." Pepper replied, just as curt and mechanical as Jarvis had been, "You seem to have forgotten that I maintain power in your domestic activities, and being woken in the morning is one of the activities that you neglect wholeheartedly."

She thrust a cup of black coffee into his hands and began organizing the morning screen for his viewing.

Tony blinked a few times, "Potts, I think there's a line between doing your job and invading my privacy." He pulled the covers back over his head.

"The weather outside is a lovely 72.4 degrees Fahrenheit, I suggest wearing one of the lighter suits. Once you're washed, please meet me in your kitchen and dining area to discuss the further plans for the day, Mr. Stark." She flipped over the covers again.

And just like that she was gone.

Tony rubbed his eyes, "That did not just happen."

"On the contrary, it did, Mr. Stark."

"Shut up, Jarvis."

* * *

><p>"You certainly took your time getting down here."<p>

Tony rolled his eyes, "Alright, mother. Brief me." He sat down at the table, greeted by a cup of orange juice and a plate of pancakes and sausage links.

Pepper quirked her eyebrow, "Well, you'll be meeting with the PR department in two hours to discuss the month's progress, and then afterwards I've booked a quick lunch," Pepper flipped through her notebooks, "and then a meeting with the press on the developing systems for flight simulations. Later in the evening, the police department would like to honor your work to the community by holding a dinner. After that, you're free to do what you would like."

Tony slurped his orange juice obnoxiously.

She cleared her throat, "Did you, um, get all that, sir?"

"Can you deal with the PR meeting, and then get back to me with the details? I've got something else to do this morning."

"No, you don't because it's not booked in my daily planner, Mr. Stark."

Tony scoffed, "Look, you're not going to be able to rely on a planner for my daily activities. I'm spontaneous, Potts. And you're going to have to get used to that."

He plucked the notebook from her hands and threw it out the sweeping window. Pepper ran up to the very edge, gaping in absolute horror. She shook visibly, gripping onto the handrail in need of support. The notebook tumbled down the side of the house and into the rocky, swirling waters below.

She stood there, silent for a bit.

Tony scratched his head.

As he opened his mouth to ensure her sanity, Pepper whirled around and briskly grabbed his lapels. Without a word, she expertly smoothed out the suit and fixed the tie, with Tony awkwardly leaning back ever so slightly. She took a firm hold of his arm and dragged him out the door with her heels clicking. Tony struggled to unlatch her fingers from digging into his skin and was rudely forced into his car, with Happy at the wheel.

"Drive." Came the direct command from Pepper.

Happy blinked in surprise and pressed down on the gas.

"Hey, I said I didn't want to go to any meetings!" Tony objected.

Pepper turned towards him with unbounded fury, "I really don't care. I'm going to keep trying to do my job. I refuse to let you continue to do this, and don't think this discourages me one bit. No, this only makes me more intent on bringing you into the adult world to deal with adult problems."

Again, with pure, chilling silence, she whipped out a notepad and wrote down a few things.

"To thoroughly complete my job, I'm going to have to find other unconventional means. I am going to require a Blackberry, a pack of 100 Biro pens, and a truckload of ground coffee."

Tony, eased by the lighter tone of the statement, smirked and flipped his sunglasses on, "You're one tough cookie, Ms. Potts. I'll give you that."

"I've been told."

"Raisin cookie?"

"Raisin."

**AN: Hey guys! :) So, sorry for the later update and the shorter one at that :/ So much for school work argh (flips table)**

**This might have to be a weekly thing, instead of more frequently. I hope that doesn't discourage you all from reading! I think this is going along quite nicely!**

**Please don't forget to comment and review! I may forget to start writing an update, if I don't receive any, seeing as how things are starting to slip my mind nowadays... I feel like such an old grandma sometimes...**

**Thanks for reading! Have a great day! :)**

**- TM**


	6. Happy Birthday

**Disclaimer: I do not own/have created any of the characters (except Pepper's sister) (C) Marvel**

**September 27th, 2002**

It had been about two months dealing with Tony and his eccentricities. I was beginning to see why all the other personal assistants had been "fired" or rather left on their own accord. Although he was initially annoyed that I had invaded his personal life, he soon turned that into his own advantage by forcing me to do menial tasks around his house, such as taking out the trash. He would always give me this smug smile, as if challenging me to leave my post just as all the others had done.

But I'm not that type of person.

To be fair, the idea crossed my mind several times with seriousness, but I knew that innately I would never be able to go through with it. I had been born and raised on the simple condition that persistence and determination were the best virtues. I would spend lengthy evenings calling up my sister and complaining to her, but she would very calmly reiterate those facts, and I would find myself soundlessly sighing.

I'm not sure if I've always been a workaholic, or if I developed the trait over time, but it became stark and blatant one oddly summery September day.

My birthday is the 27th of September.

I received a few calls from girlfriends and family members wishing me a good day and a very happy birthday, and they were the sole reminders that it was indeed my birthday. A few others offered to spend the day with me and to celebrate it, but I turned them all down, which was off-putting and startling, to say the least.

Although my work-oriented nature couldn't hide the fact that I was pleased that it was my birthday. And it was evident that day to Tony.

* * *

><p>"Ready for your lunch, Mr. Stark?"<p>

"As always. Where are we going today?"

"Any place of your choice, sir." Pepper clipped her pen to her papers and scooped up the rest in her arms.

Tony eyed her cautiously, "You never let me decide these things."

"I might as well bestow a little bit more freedom on you. You **have **been behaving this past week."

"True, all very true..." His skepticism was still obvious, as he slid into the back of the car.

"Burger King, Happy."

"Weren't you on a diet, sir?"

"Sorry, what was that?"

"Nothing, sir."

"Yeah, that's what I thought."

Happy lowered the brim of his hat and pressed down on the gas pedal, speeding away to the closest Burger King he could find. While waiting in the drive through, he peeked back through his mirror and smiled at Pepper.

"I heard that today's your birthday, Ms. Potts. Happy birthday!" His small wrinkles smiled along with his mouth.

Pepper's head bobbed up in surprise, "Oh. Well, thank you, Happy."

"It's your birthday, Potts?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact, it is, Mr. Stark."

Tony blinked, "Ah, so this must be what I credit the good mood towards."

"Yes, you could."

"Do you have anything planned?"

"My workday ends when your day has been taken care of, so I am at the whim of your spontaneity, Mr. Stark."

Tony rubbed the back of his neck, "Well, that's a bit disheartening."

"No, I love my job." She insisted.

Her boss cracked with laughter, beginning to tear up from the greatness of it, "You love your job? You don't have to lie for your paycheck, Potts!"

Pepper wrinkled her nose, "I'm not lying."

"Well, then you're not telling the whole truth."

"I don't think it concerns you that much, Mr. Stark." Pepper retorted.

"I think you should know me better than that, by now."

Pepper paused.

Tony challenged, "Okay, then tell me why you love this job so much. For the past two months, I've literally obsessed over trying to get you to quit. Not that I don't appreciate you doing all of this stuff for me, but I could do with being my immature, carefree self a lot better."

"Well, at least now I can justify all the senseless housework you've been making me do."

"Explain." Tony urged again.

Pepper spoke thoughtfully, "I suppose I love my job because it keeps me busy, very busy. I'd rather be busy than to be left without much to do, and I have to hand it to you, you've given me the most work to do these past few months than I've ever had to do in my life." She seemed deathly serious for a few seconds, but she couldn't help but show a small smile, "This job is also quite rewarding, considering the audience I'm starting to amass, as well."

Tony snorted, "You're not normal, you know."

"You're right. Your job calling asked for someone extraordinary." Pepper felt her smile grow wider.

"Yeah. You're pretty extraordinary, Potts."

"Does this mean the end of your games to try to get me to quit my job?"

"I guess it does." Tony raised his hands, "I give up. You deserve to keep your job, and I can't argue with your smile."

Pepper laughed for the first time in a while, and it set off Tony with his own chuckles. She didn't know why she was laughing, he hadn't said very much that was funny. But perhaps she was laughing out of relief and success. She had managed to get the infamous Anthony Stark to give in to her small, persistent demands. She was beginning to see a lot of a personal life that she had never seen from someone so grand. It was an odd boss-employee relationship that they were developing, but Pepper was still willing to go through with it all.

Because he was a fun boss, even though she wanted to strangle him sometimes.

And because he made her genuinely smile.

And because it was her birthday.

And the security of her future was the greatest birthday present that Tony never really gave, but rather, allowed.

"Happy birthday, Ms. Potts."

"Thank you, Mr. Stark."

"Get yourself something nice for me."

"I already have, Mr. Stark. And I couldn't thank you more for it."

**AN: Hi guys! Another weekly update! :) Well, winter break is finally among us here in the States. I'm going to write a bit of a holiday-oriented chapter next, so that's something to look forward to!**

**Hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Please don't forget to comment and review! It means a lot to me, even if it's a few words! :)**

**Enjoy the rest of the week, dear readers.**

**(Edit: fixed the date, sorry about that!)**

**- TM**


	7. Home for the Holidays

****Disclaimer: I do not own/have created any of the characters (C) Marvel****

****December 24th, 2002****

Pepper had sensed it the moment she began writing the dates of December in her emails. She had sensed the crazed, holiday-spirit driven, American society ready itself with weather forecasts of snow, sales for any and all stores, and tremendously frenzied economics. The wealthy had begun to send out invitations to holiday balls and dinners, and Tony was no exception. He purposefully stayed out of the country and sent short worded emails to Pepper explaining the basics of what he wanted at his own extravagant holiday dinner. When pressed for more details, he simply said, "Do what you think is right, Pep."

This wasn't Pepper's first Christmas working all day, but it _was _Pepper's first Christmas working all day for Tony Stark.

He certainly hadn't disappointed either. Typical. He was scheduled to land an hour ago, but Pepper had begun to get used to his style, and she called Happy accordingly, who graciously drove her to Tony's personal landing pad in the middle of the night.

"I'm so sorry, Happy. I'm sure there's tons of things you have to be doing with your family right now." She apologized, as she firmly shut the car door.

"It's alright, Ms. Potts. I can only imagine how enjoyable your day has been."

"Touché." Pepper rolled her eyes with a slight, strained smile.

Happy continued, noting her now infamous Blackberry, "Well, how did the holiday dinner come along? A lot of problems?"

"Yeah, a lot of things that needed to be fixed." Pepper sent her last demanding text message and sighed, "Tony's so spontaneous anyways, I don't even know why I bother."

"You're doing a great job, Ms. Potts. You're one of the best personal assistants I've ever had the honor of knowing."

She felt her tired lips perk up, "Thanks, Happy."

The car slowed as it neared the landing pad. Pepper craned her neck to see the plane's lights flicker in the clear nighttime sky.

"Beautiful night for Christmas." Happy added, "You enjoy yourself tonight, Ms. Potts."

Pepper smiled again and stepped out of the car to meet her boss. The airplane landed gently on the ground, as if apologizing for its late arrival on Christmas Day. The side door swung open and Tony's shadowed figure stood at the top of the narrow stairway down the ground. Pepper waved a "thank you" to the airplane staff and jogged to meet Tony at the bottom of the steps.

"How was your plane ride, Mr. Stark?"

"As enjoyable as your workday must've been today."

Pepper laughed openly, "Yes, well you did a smart move leaving the country for a while. Needless to say, this same trick won't work again next year."

Tony shrugged it off.

"Well, you're just in time to make it to your own royal party, so we should hurry." She turned and began her run back to the car.

She heard Tony behind her, "Cancel the holiday dinner. I'm going back to my house."

Pepper froze and turned slowly to face Tony. He stood there with a locked jaw, hands in his pockets.

Pepper's smile vanished, as Tony cleared his throat, turning his gaze to the Californian city. She began to feel herself wobble in her ungodly tall heels at the sudden bluntness of his directive. His eyes were purposefully masked by unnecessary sunglasses—clever. He brushed past her and walked briskly to the waiting car. Pepper did her best to gather her shaken morale and follow him with a lowered head. She snapped open her Blackberry again, sending frantic text messages, calling off lights and caterers, mass apologies to guests, well-written alibis. She took a second to glance up at Tony's expressionless face, only to feel remarkable chills crack down her back.

Happy paused, as they loaded into the back of the car, wordlessly. He turned down the Christmas music, as they fixed their seat belts, and swallowed silently, speeding off into the night.

"Where to?" Came the meek question.

"Home." Replied with gravitas.

Pepper's hands shook uncomfortably, as she confined herself to her Blackberry. Tony settled back in his seat, sunglasses flashing in the collection of city lights. His body was so relaxed, reserved, still, but every now and again, he would clear his throat and Pepper's head would shoot up, looking for signs of remorse.

The silence spoke for the both of them, tensing up within their chests and refusing to get off their minds. Thoughts ran amok, but did nothing as unspoken figments.

Oh, but the silence. That's what Pepper cringed at.

She uncomfortably shifted in her seat, finding her eyes lingering on Tony more often than not. As they approached the darkened house, Tony suddenly moved to unlock his seat belt, jittering Pepper more than it should have. He stepped out of the car, exhaling audibly. Pepper, too, made movements to follow him, but he leaned down to her window, shaking his head,

"Thanks a lot, Pepper. I'll be good from here. Happy holidays." His voice appeared distant and muffled, as his breath fogged the glass.

He left without another word, locking his front door behind him. Pepper blinked, sinking into the car seat.

Happy turned around, "Are you off work now?"

Pepper stared blankly, "I...think so."

"Would you like me to take you home, Ms. Potts?"

"I need you to help me break through this front door, that's what."

Happy was willing to help Pepper break into Tony's house, which was surprisingly easy, since Jarvis wasn't on. That was all he was willing to do, however, clearly fearful of Tony's imminent anger. He wished Pepper luck in whatever it was she planned on doing and quickly left the premises.

Pepper stood in the middle of the foyer, knowing very well that Tony was most likely down in his basement. She took small, cautious steps down the stairs, trying to make up a goal in her mind. It was difficult, seeing how she was merely his PA.

What more was needed from her? What would this directive be filed under?

She convinced herself that it was a part of holiday spirit and that her family could wait a few more minutes for her arrival. As she neared the basement's door, booming rock music grew more evident, and Pepper grew more divided in her decision.

She paused at the door, staring at Tony through the glass. He lay on an abandoned couch, staring intently up at the ceiling, hands behind his head, feet propped up.

Gathering blind courage, Pepper knocked purposefully on the door.

Tony snapped up, clearly surprised. He squinted, realizing that it was Pepper. He stood up and tried waving her off, as he approached the door.

"Potts, you should go home. I just ended your workday. You're not getting overtime for anything."

Pepper stiffened, biting down on her lower lip, "Mr. Stark, this isn't on a basis of work or money."

"Then why else would you be here?"

"As someone who is genuinely concerned for your well-being."

"Is that a part of being my PA that I forgot to read, again?"

"It's on my own agenda."

Tony searched Pepper's glassy eyes for an ulterior motive, and Pepper felt self-conscious under his exacting stare.

"If you don't mind being a little more civil, I'd like to enter. It's sort of silly talking to me through a glass door."

Tony blinked at the abruptness, hand resting on the doorknob. He carefully opened the door into the world of his basement, being sure not to take his eyes off of Pepper.

She entered his little mechanical world with slight wonder. Tony shut the door firmly and watched her, as she took a seat.

They uncomfortably locked eyes.

"This is still really weird, you know." Tony spoke up.

"Er, I just wanted to know if there was anything I could do for you, Mr. Stark."

Tony was touched. Even if this was part of her job or part of some other plan to get paparazzi press, it was a sweet thing to say.

But he had to be honest with himself, too. She hadn't even been with him for a long time. Kind-heartedness would have to be thanked for later. He still wanted to keep his own pride, and although he innately knew that it was a silly thing to try to maintain, he refused to let himself tell her anything.

"I'm just feeling a little under the weather. My party's not that important anyways. There are plenty of others that are being held."

"You seem very unlike yourself today, Mr. Stark. I'm just very concerned that something may be wrong."

Tony glanced away, and Pepper bit her lip, taking the subtle signs.

"It's...fine if you don't want to tell me. I'm not exactly a best friend or anything, and I can tell it's quite personal." Pepper awkwardly stood up, smoothing out her skirt.

She quickly made her way to the door, feeling her cheeks burn with embarrassment. _Stupid, stupid, that's what this was. _She pulled out her ponytail, as she jogged up the stairway, to cover her eyes. Tony watched her silently from his chair, and he swiveled around to face his computer screen.

"Tell Happy he better fix my door lock."

"Of course, Mr. Stark."

He smirked and then softened, thinking about the two of them trying to break down his door.

"If I may be so bold to point out, Mr. Stark, that was an exemplary example of courage on the part of Ms. Potts."

"Really? I mean, I guess courage was involved, but I saw something else."

"Surely you don't mean to say that you think it was monetarily driven, do you, sir?" JARVIS spoke with disbelief, or at least Tony interpreted it as such.

"No, I didn't mean money. I just...I don't know I saw something else. Forget it. Maybe I'm misreading things." Tony waved off the AI and reached for an unopened bottle of Christmas whisky.

"Happy holidays and good cheer and stuff, right, JARVIS?" Tony took a deep, hearty swig of the acidic drink.

JARVIS sighed audibly, "Yes, sir. That seems to be the conventional notion."

And so the lonesome technician continued to drink late, or rather early, into the next morning. The bottle's slim neck had a fiery passion that no other neck could provide. It was smooth and flawless, and his hand tightly clenched around it without regret.

His counterpart found herself at a bar. While it was a bit of a classy bar, it was a bar. She had sworn to resist such temptations, but she was too busy drinking away her own troubles. Not over the lost work but over her own shortcomings. There was some sympathy embedded within her. She was a sensitive creature, and while she had tried to train her instincts to lean towards the defensive, she was like an open nerve. Too easily affected by others and too dependent on others.

With separate glasses, well really a glass and a bottle, raised to the eve's moon, alcohol washed away the words left unsaid.

**AN: Uh (peeks out from behind computer screen) so it's been awhile, hasn't it?**

**I can't express my regret and disappointment of my own inability to faithfully continue this fan fiction, and I am incredibly sorry :( I was hoping to be much more aggressive with my updates, but then a lot of real life things got in the way (ew, right?).**

**I was recently PM'd about the mass deletion of fan fictions that will be occurring soon, which worried me a little. I don't think I have written of any explicit content (yet) but I'll let you all know, if I decide to switch mediums.**

**Thanks again to those who were faithful, and sorry to those who were discouraged at my long MIA.**

**- TM**


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